Q&A with Jota Dazza from Radioboxer, Playing Titanic Friday

Radioboxer's has been something of a Cinderella story. They came from the virtual brink of oblivion when they decided to disband Fallaz, but kept it together and started Radioboxer, a new band with a whole new energy, hell-bent on grinding through heartfelt alternajams with clever lyrics and a very refined version of garagey-ness. The release of their debut album Radio Drama and a dedicated gigging schedule earned them acclaim from media around town (ahem, including us) and a steadily growing local fanbase. You, the reader, even voted them your choice for Best Band in our Best of Miami 2009.

It's been about a year since the buzz began and Radioboxer continues on strong, writing new music, and giving fans abundant opportunities to take in this local favorite where they rock their best, in a live setting. New Times recently got bassist, and apparent lover of chick flicks, Jota Dazza on the horn for a couple of quick questions about their free, WVUM-sponsored party this Friday at Titanic Brewery, called I'll Never Let You Go, Jack, their assent to Radioboxerdom, and the role of Mad Max in the band's future.

And to thank fans for their support, Radioboxer has decided to give away their entire debut record for free. Head here to download it. And below check out a nifty vid they put together to help promote the show.

New Times: First of all, who the hell is this Jack, and why won't you let him go?

Jota: Jack is the young Leonardo DiCaprio. And we did let him go, when we grew old and ugly [laughs]. It's the movie man! You never saw Titanic? You remember the quote from the movie?

You're not going to believe this, but I never saw the movie.

You're kidding! So you never got laid during that time?

I was against watching it. I took a stand. I did succumb to Great Expectations instead.

Oh wow. I wish more men could've taken a stand like you. I got dragged twice.

Well, I figured I knew how it ended. So how'd a nice clean band like Radioboxer get mixed up with the sordid underbelly of university radio?

We kind of got in contact during the Miami Music Festival, when we played at Transit and the music director was there, and she liked the band and told us to get in touch. So for this show, we've never played in Titanic before, so we wanted to have one of these quote-unquote big shows we do, so I called and asked if they'd like to be a part. And they were really helpful, actually.

[Laughs] They are! They're a bunch of perverts. They're just a bunch of rapists who got together to play music.

No, no. Rebel became friends of ours playing around town and they have good lyrics, good songs, good stage presence. I really enjoy their music. It has a British pop vibe, only harder. And the Morning Flesh Project actually uses the same studio we do, The Shack North, so they're part of the Shack North Family in Hialeah, and they're really cool people. So we invited them over. They're more like an experimental fusion band, so it should make for a nice mix overall for the show.

You guys have really blown up locally over the past year. How does that feel?

It feels good. It feels like we're accomplishing something. I mean, we're still not where we want to be, obviously. But, you know, it does feel like we're getting somewhere. You see the progress on Facebook, and you see more and more people showing up at concerts that we don't know and they're like, "hey! You're Radioboxer," which is always surprising. It's like, "holy shit, how do you know me?" And that's happening more and more and we feel good about it. The hard work we've put into the band is paying off.

What have you guys been working on lately? There's new music on the way, right?

Well, we're changing the image, and the feeling. Before we were into the whole organic feeling, and extremely retro, like 1900s retro. But now we're moving toward a more futuristic vibe. Kind of like how they viewed the future in the '80s, with the post apocalyptic theme? That's the vibe. Very aggressive in the sense that it's got almost militaristic, fascist vibe, but the message is really we all have to love each other and help each other out. That feeling where you feel communion with the person standing on either side of you. And that's the main reason we really do anything at all, and the main message. So the idea is a musical militia.

And we're also experimenting more with electronic music. More upbeat. I almost doubt the choice of words, but I guess more commercial on one sense. It just feels like even more fun to play. The new songs are going to kick ass. The new stuff sounds amazing. It's kinda like bipolar power pop.

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